Unhinged
by FanWriter02
Summary: HTTYD 3 what-if/AU. Hiccup was captured three weeks ago. What could they do to a man in three weeks? Astrid shuddered to think. But of all the horrible possibilities she'd imagined plausible, being possessed by Deathgripper venom had not been one of them. Hiccup!Whump. No longer a one-shot.
1. Part 1

*waves* Hoiya! lunarcrown came up with this awesome venomcup au, and I just had to write something for it! Now I don't know all the details to this AU, and I'm definitely not the first to write about it (Which I actually just found out. In the middle of writing this drabble I thought "It might be a good idea to look at the HTTYD AU tag to get more info" and… like, you _have_ to go check out aleteia's fic.. It's amazing!) So yeah I'm sorry if I got stuff wrong etc, but I hope it's enjoyable anyhow! And let me know if you guys want more, and I might make this into a multi-chapter thingie. Just lemme know in the reviews. ;))

(Very minor HTTYD 3 spoilers. This is a what-if Hiccup got captured by Grimmel, and while Astrid tries to rescue him, she gets captured as well.)

**Unhinged**

Astrid had long since stopped struggling. She wasn't even sure she could at this point, since her arms were so numb from the men's tight grips she could no longer feel her fingers. She figured that, the best way to get any information, was to remain silent and passive- for now. She would fight when the time called for it. However, she could still glare, and so she did.

After days of sitting immobile in a cell, it was a struggle to make her legs cooperate as she was dragged down the shadowy halls of the ship. She tried not to make eye contact with the men they passed, but if she did, she let her hatred spill into her gaze. If looks could kill, she was certain the entire army would be dead at this point.

The men laughed and made vulgar comments that made her squirm inwardly. They hadn't made any moves to touch her- yet. She only hoped they knew better than to try. She might be weaponless, and weak, but she would use whatever means of defense she had. She had teeth, didn't she? Then by Thor's hammer she'd bite any man who came near her.

But for now, she hoped remaining cooperative would pay her back in the end. Maybe… maybe she'd stay alive long enough to get out. Long enough to…

_to see Hiccup._

She watched and studied everything they passed, keeping her eyes peeled for any hints that he was or had been there. He must be. He had to be. She refused to think differently.

But three weeks_. Three weeks._ What could they do to one man in three weeks? She shuddered to think.

She'd only been in captivity for three days. Locked in a cell, with nothing but moldy bread and water to keep her alive. They hadn't even given her a slop bucket.

_Heathens._ The Hooligans might be rough Vikings, but even they had the decency to give their prisoners a bucket to do their business in. Her hatred was threatening to brim over. She feared she might explode should she even lay eyes on Grimmel. The slimy bast-

Speaking of which.

They rounded a corner, and came to stop at a door. A man standing there didn't even question their presence. All he had to do was see her, and he nodded, opening the door and letting them pass.

Grimmel stood, back to them, with his hands pressed against the top of a table. He had papers strewn about the table, along with empty vases and dirty glass cylinders. He didn't turn upon their entrance, just continued staring at the papers.

"My dear Lady." He spoke without looking up. "A pleasure."

She gnawed on her gag, nearly choking on her withheld words. She reminded herself to stay silent, not that her words would make it past the gag. Yet still, what a coward to _forcefully_ silence his prisoner. Did he fear what she had to say?

It was as if he had heard her thoughts. Good, then maybe he'd heard the few choice words she had bouncing about her head.

"Ungag her." He finally turned around, a smug smile pasted on his pale face, his eyes unreadable. He leaned against the table.

As soon as the cloth left her mouth, she spat a wad of spit on the floor, right at Grimmel's boots. The words came unbidden. "You _snake._" She said darkly. She hated how far up she had to look to meet his eyes. It made her feel even more defenseless, a feeling she did not appreciate.

He snorted a laugh. "My lady! You underestimate me. I dare say I like to consider myself on a dragon status."

She pondered a response, but decided against it. Rather, she heated her glare.

"Now." He stood and walked to a shelf, where jars of purple liquid lined. She didn't know how she hadn't noticed them before. They were chiming as they softly hit against each other with each wave that hit the side of the ship. It was a little hum that played in the background, and accompanied with the purple glow from the bottles, it created an eerie atmosphere.

Grimmel plucked up one of these bottles and uncorked it, letting a fowl stench seep into the air. Astrid squinted, her eyes watering from the fumes. He coughed and recorked it, with a satisfied nod of his head. He continued. "I know why you came here."

"Did you figure it out by yourself?" She muttered dryly. To her surprise, he laughed.

"Hiccup's humor must be contagious." He walked closer, still chuckling. "I wouldn't have thought you, a warrior or Berk, to know the meaning of sarcasm."

He fiddled with the bottle in his hands, unconcerned. "Hiccup and I are much alike. We use our brains to get what we want. And if his attitude isn't the only thing you've caught on from him, then I'm sure this is no great recollection."

It wasn't. Hiccup's mind was his weapon, and all of Berk knew it. It's why they trusted him as much as they did. It's why she'd believed him those many years ago.

Grimmel began tinkering with a tube of some kind, filling it with the bottle's contents. And yet, in all of his pointless conversing, he had yet to tell her what had become of Hiccup. It was making her uneasy, for she felt that if he was dead, Grimmel would've used it against her by now. And yet, if he was still alive, wouldn't Berk had gotten a ransom note long before now? Grimmel was just so unpredictable. She couldn't read his behavior, and it was irking her more then she could say.

Finally, he looked up, smiling widely without showing his teeth. It was creepy, and made her uncomfortable. She squirmed where she was held, but the soldiers didn't loosen their grip.

Grimmel looked past her and nodded, presumably at the guard by the door. She heard the door creak open, followed by shuffled footsteps.

Someone stumbled past her, followed by two burly men. When she saw who it was, she lunged forward, forgetting she was still contained. The men jerked her back sharply, forcing a gasp from her lips. She stared, horrified, struck silent by the shape Hiccup was in. She was too shocked to feel any joy at the fact that "Thank Thor, he's alive." for all her mind could focus on was the cylinder fixed at his neck by a leather collar. Her eyes caught the slightest glimpse of glowing purple from within the glass.

He was leaning against the wall, his head wavering, his eyes unable to focus on anything. He was so pale… and, as best as she could see in the little candlelight, his skin carried a slight purple tint. His green iris's were no longer the beautiful emerald color she knew, but a glowing purple. He blinked hazily, staring at nothing. She saw his legs shake.

"My new weapon!" Grimmel cackled and waved his arm at Hiccup, as if showing off a new toy. Hiccup only blinked, not responding at all. The soldiers stood a few paces back, next to the men who held Astrid, just watching in uncertainty, as if they weren't sure what to do.

Grimmel walked to Hiccup and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, dragging him to stand across from Astrid. She involuntarily breathed his name. "_Hiccup…_" He made no response.

It was killing her to have him so close- close enough to touch- and yet, it wasn't truly him. She hoped he'd say something, that he'd even look at her, but he did neither. He stared into space through half-lidded eyes, his body trembling. She feared he would tip over at any moment.

Grimmel slapped the back of Hiccup's head. "Look at her."

He did, eerily. He looked, but he didn't see. His gaze went right through her.

"What have you done?" She hissed, raising her gaze to meet Grimmel's. He grinned and settled a hand on Hiccup's shoulder, as one would an old friend. He tossed the tube in his hand, which she now realized with horror, was the same cylinder like thing that was fixed at Hiccup's throat.

"I've done what Stoick should've done years ago!" He cackled, and began plying the tube from the collar. Once off, he took the needle from it's end and fixed it on the new one. "Hiccup makes a marvelous dragon killer, Astrid. It's a shame you underestimated him."

The tip of the needle disappeared into Hiccup's neck.


	2. Part 2

Hey guyys! So yeah, people wanted more of this, I guess. I actually had several asks for more over on my tumblr, and I really enjoyed writing the first one, so I figured I'd do some more! I think I might continue as well if you guys are enjoying it. Thanks for all the great feedback, enjoy! :D

**Part 2**

Astrid didn't really see what happened next. Her vision blurred with anger, and she must've lost herself to her emotions, for everything became a haze of mumbling voices and echoing clangs of metal against metal. She vaguely remembered fighting the guards. One moment she was in Grimmel's room and the next she was being tossed into a cell.

She landed hard on her side, but she wasted no time in launching at the door. It was too late, for it slammed shut just as she hit it. She bounced back, feeling worse for it and gaining nothing. She clenched her fists, trying to control herself, but she couldn't help but let out a roar of pure frustration.

These bastards. When she got out, she was going to slice their throats herself. No. No. She'd infect them with the venom and force them to fight each other until they were dead. Or force them to walk off a cliff.

How dare they. How dare _he_. Grimmel, that slimy mungebucket-

She fell back against the wall, pressing her balled up hands against her cheeks. Her face was soaking wet with tears of anger. She felt so utterly powerless.

That empty hollow look in Hiccup's eyes would haunt her forever, she was sure of it. Even if they did somehow make it out alive, it would still be engraved in her memory long after it was over.

She prayed they wouldn't do the same to her. Then it really would be hopeless.

Still, even with her emotions in a matted knot at the pit of her stomach, she wondered what they intended to do with her. She was a good fighter, she supposed they could use the venom on her and make her into an assassin. But really, she didn't think that was a part of Grimmel's game.

She'd never admit it, but she feared to find out what it would be.

She curled into her self, her legs against her chest and her forehead on her knees, she dropped into a nightmarish sleep.

* * *

She awoke the abrupt grating of the door. In an instant she was on her feet, not that she could go far with the chains wrapped about her legs. She'd forgotten them.

"Settle down, feisty." The soldier grunted. She attempted a punch to his jaw, but he easily caught the groggy attempt. She hadn't eaten in two days, and she'd all but lost feeling in her legs. She felt awful.

"Boss wants ta see ya."

Of course. _Lovely._

She still hadn't said a word as they dragged her down the corridor. As she slowly came to her senses, she noticed something was oddly amiss. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could tell something had changed.

It wasn't until they brought her up on the deck that she realized. They were docked; the boat had stopped swaying.

She stared up at the pile of rocks. nothing but a dark crude protrusion in the ocean. The air stunk of dung and coal smoke, but the men holding her didn't seem bothered by it. They merely continued trudging on, their faces devoid of emotions.

She was led straight into the mountain- or volcano, whatever the heck it was- where the tunnel was lit only by every other lantern hanging from the walls. Sounds echoed off the stone. Yelling, roars, clanging, footsteps. And they were gradually growing louder.

Finally, they filed into a large open arena. Far above, there was a circular opening where you could see the smoke filled sky. It was like a cruder version of the arena back home, with a chain over the top and a walkway about it for onlookers.

Down below, the arena looked to be clearing out. Men of different uniforms were driving the dragons into the different segments. She wondered, for they didn't all look to be Grimmel's men. Some looked like Vikings, while others wore brighter dyed clothes and they had tan skin, as if they belonged further South.

In mere moments the arena was empty. All to be heard were the clanging of the dragons in their stalls, moaning angrily against their bonds.

Forcing herself to keep silent, Astrid pressed her lips together. Anger boiled in her chest, as did newly roused shame. She remembered when she and the others on Berk had done much the same as was being done now. Cowing restrained dragons into far too small spaces.

Someone called her name. She looked over to see Grimmel standing in the entrance of the arena, his back straight and hands held behind his back. "My dear Astrid!"

She hissed unintentionally. She licked her lips, her mouth too dry to yell back a reply.

The men began leading her towards the entrance, until Grimmel disappeared out of sight and she was being led through the overpass. They practically dragged her down the hard-packed dirt, until she stood beside Grimmel himself.

"Don't say my name." She growled. Yanking her shoulders out of the soldiers hold, she turned to fix her glare on Grimmel's hooked nose. He refused to look at her.

"But what a beautiful name it is!" He cackled. "Astrid, "Divine Strength". A name worthy of a Valkyrie."

Her glare sharpened. She was sick of his silly flim flammer. It brought unbidden memories of Viggo. In so many ways did Grimmel remind her of him.

"I have a game for you to play." He waved a hand at the empty arena, and she took that moment to follow his gaze. There was another gate opposite of them. She looked closely through the bars, and, too her bemusement, it appeared empty. All the others were crammed full with dragons, why would they leave one empty?

Her hands shook.

"What?" She asked. She turned to demand what he meant, but, to her horror, He was behind the shutting gate, locking her in the arena.

"No!" She stumbled to it, slamming against it in a panic. Her legs were still chained, if he expected her to fight a dragon, there was no way she could do it without the use of her feet. She wouldn't even be able to protect herself.

He smiled widely and tossed a key through the gate. She watched it hit the ground, before looking to him again. "My lady." He gave a mock bow.

She heard the creak of a gate opening, but it was not hers. She looked over her shoulder to see the one Grimmel had referred to begin to lift.

She grabbed the key and struggled to unlock her ankles. Her hands were shaking so badly, she couldn't get the key into the keyhole.

Finally, they clicked, and she kicked her way out of their hold. Before she could look for a weapon, the gate had already clanged open.

She stared, her breathing uneven in anxiety. She didn't know what to expect.

But of all her worries of Thunderdrums, Gronkle's, Nadders, and whatever other foreign dragon Grimmel had hidden, she was not expecting Hiccup to step into the arena, dressed from head to toe in dark armor. It looked like a combination of his dragon suit to some odd leather pieces with Grimmel's insignia on it.

Astrid fell silent. Oh, no no _nonono_. This was so much worse than a dragon.

She'd have to fight Hiccup. And… she couldn't. She _wouldn't._

"Thor, no." She breathed. This could not be happening. Hiccup slowly began walking closer, Inferno burning brightly in his hand. As he came closer, she could see the slight purple glow emanating from behind his helmet.

An ax suddenly slipped through the bars, inches away from her ear. "Your weapon, my dear." Even though she couldn't see his face, she could still sense Grimmel's smile. Her brows dipped over her eyes, and in that moment, she was filled with an all encompassing need to prove Grimmel wrong. To show him he could not control her. Nor Hiccup.

She gripped the ax and leaped to her feet. She began walking sideways, she and Hiccup circling the arena.

"Hiccup, it's me." She tried. He gave no reaction to her words. She tried again. "Astrid. Hiccup, it's Astrid. Y-you wouldn't hurt me."

Still, he just continued circling, his body tight, like a dragon ready to pounce on its prey.

"Listen to me." She said urgently. "Hiccup!"

He launched. She parried his blow, hastily swiping it away before jumping back, trying to put as much distance between them. But he followed, landing several more blows that she blocked with ease. She fell into her combat mode, her mind set on survival.

Finally, after parry after parry, they both stumbled back laboring for breath. Hiccup hunched over, one hand on his knee. Astrid, through a haze of exhaustion, watched as he lifted his helmet to vomit.

"Keep fighting!" Grimmel shouted from the gate. She saw Hiccup shudder, but he pulled the helmet down again. Astrid saw how he shook.

In that split second his face was visible to her, she thought she saw a flicker of recognition. But, when he advanced again, she decided it'd been only her imagination.

"Hiccup, listen." She said, blocking each of his blows. She could hear his wheezing breathes, could tell he was exhausted. But under Grimmel's orders, he could not stop.

His blows were began to weaken. They weren't as heavy, weren't as powerful. Her arms were shaking from the exertion and lack of fuel, but she somehow found the strength to fight more than he. If she kept this up, maybe she could find an opening and jerk the collar from his neck.

She took a wild swing. Smacking his wrist with the blunt end of her ax, she sent Inferno flying through the air to smack against the stone wall. Hiccup made a weak scramble to grab it, but Astrid already had him in a hold against her chest, her ax pressed beneath his chin.

She breathed heavily, struggling to hold him as she searched for the straps on the collar. She thought she saw three needles protruding, but it was hard to tell.

"No!" She heard Grimmel shout. "Get her!"

She found the straps, and pulled. After a sharp tug it fell to the ground, carrying the needles with it.

It was like a switch. Hiccup became dead weight in her arms, completely unresponsive.

"No! Hiccup!" She cried, struggling to hold him. She looked about for a lever of sorts. Maybe she could get a dragon. Maybe-

Something hit in her in the back of the head, and she knew no more.


End file.
